This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This BLT Pasta Salad is the kind of summer side dish you make once, and suddenly it's expected at every cookout, potluck, and family gathering. It takes everything you love about a classic BLT sandwich, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and a creamy, tangy dressing, and tosses it together with tender pasta for a hearty, make-ahead-friendly salad.
Love bacon? You don't want to miss this BLT pasta salad. Just like my bacon ranch potato salad recipe and homemade baked beans, this recipe proves everything is better with bacon!
BLT Pasta Salad at a Glance
- Servings: Serves 8; easily doubled for parties
- Total Time: 35 minutes + optional 30 minutes chilling
- Flavor Win: Creamy, smoky, crunchy, and packed with classic BLT flavor
Recipe Highlights
Kristen's Keys for BLT Pasta Salad
For a pasta salad that has flavors reminiscent of a BLT and appealing texture, keep the following tips in mind.
- Do not rinse the pasta after cooking. The starch helps the creamy dressing cling to the noodles instead of sliding right off.
- Cool the pasta completely before adding the lettuce. Warm pasta will wilt the lettuce quickly, and nobody wants sad, limp lettuce in pasta salad.
- Select crisp lettuce and ripe tomatoes. For the best flavor and texture possible.
- Save the bacon drippings for an unforgettable dressing. That tiny bit of bacon fat adds smoky flavor and helps create a silky dressing.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Ingredients for BLT Pasta Salad
For the best BLT pasta salad, pay close attention to the type of lettuce, pasta, and bacon selected.
- Pasta: Choose pasta with ridges or curves so the dressing gets tucked into every bite. Rotini, bowtie, penne, or cavatappi all work well.
- Bacon: Use thick-cut bacon if possible. It stays crisp longer and gives the salad a better smoky flavor.
- Lettuce: Stick with crisp lettuce like romaine or iceberg. Skip delicate greens like spinach or spring mix, as they wilt too quickly.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are ideal because they are less watery and taste good year-round. If using larger tomatoes, remove the seeds first.
- Dressing: The dressing is simple but incredibly flavorful thanks to a spoonful of reserved bacon drippings mixed with mayonnaise, shallots, and apple cider vinegar
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
Think of this section as me right there with you as you prepare this pasta salad, giving you little tips along the way.
Step One: Prepare the Pasta
Cooking the pasta for pasta salad seems straightforward (and it is), but there are a few important things to remember:
- Cook in heavily salted, rapidly boiling water water.
- Cook the pasta to al dente (tender with a bit a of a bite left). This is usually 1 minute LESS than the package directions state.
- Drain but DO NOT RINSE!
- Spread the cooked pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet and let it cool completely.
Step Two: Prepare Bacon
Dice the bacon into bite-size pieces and cook over medium-high heat in a large skillet until crispy and browned.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings for the dressing
Step Three: Prepare Dressing
Combine the reserved bacon drippings with mayonnaise, vinegar, minced shallots, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined.
Step Four: Combine
Toss the cooled pasta with the dressing to evenly coat. Fold in the crispy bacon, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped chives.
Step Five: Serve Warm or Chilled
You can serve BLT Pasta Salad immediately after assembling, for a slightly warm pasta salad. Or chill for 30 minutes before serving, which will give time for the flavors to marry together and enhance the flavor (my preferred method!)
And if you're building out a menu for an easy, yet impressive summer dinner, pair this pasta salad with grilled BBQ chicken breasts, juicy burgers, or easy grilled shrimp skewers. Just don't count on leftovers!
Recipe Modifications
- Bake the Bacon: Instead of sautéing the bacon, feel free to bake the bacon in the oven. Once baked, reserve the drippings as directed and dice or crumble the bacon slices into bite-sized pieces.
- Skip the Drippings: Feel free to use olive oil + a pinch of salt in place of the rendered bacon grease, keeping in mind the dressing will not be as rich or flavorful.
- Swap out the Dressing: If you don't want to make the dressing as written, another option would be to use bottled or homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Lighten-It Up: Swap the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt.
- Optional Additions: Feel free to add shredded or cubed cheddar cheese, diced avocado, or diced leftover marinated grilled chicken thighs.
More Variations on Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are a must on any summer BBQ menu. And while we love this BLT pasta salad, sometimes you want variety! Try out the some favorites below.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
BLT Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta, rotini, corkscrew, bowtie, etc.
- 12 ounces thick-cut bacon
- 1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, + more to taste
- 3 tablespoons chives, minced
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 head hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, salt the water with 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt, add pasta, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta has been cooked, drain, but DO NOT RINSE, Cool the pasta to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients. You can speed the process up by spreading the cooked pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice the bacon into ½-inch strips and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy and browned. Remove the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease to use in the pasta salad dressing. See recipe notes for baking bacon.
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together the 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings with ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Once the pasta has cooled to room temperature, toss with the dressing to coat. Add in the chives, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon and fold together until everything is evenly distributed and creamy. Give a taste and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve warm, or for the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2018 but has been updated in 2026.
What a great way to reinvent a favorite flavor combo!
Thanks Kelly!
This recipe looks so good. Pasta salad gets so boring. This definitely is a more exciting way to make pasta salad.
Great idea for a flavorful (and not boring) pasta salad! Love seeing those lovely tomatoes and Romaine, too! Yum!
Thanks Patricia!
One of our favorites this summer was pasta salad! This sounds fantastic!
Thanks Anna. It is a great way to enjoy pasta salad and to end the summer this Labor Day weekend.
This sounds delicious, Kristen! I might be making it today!
YEA!!! I hope you do!
This sounds perfect for a picnic!!
Thanks Deborah! It is always a picnic hit 🙂
Beautiful pasta salad Kristen! My family will love this. Bacon always sells at our house!
Bacon is a winner in our house too!